Articles tagged with Washed Out

I had never seen Washed Out live before this weekend, and I had expected him to be a bit of a wallflower — his recorded material is pretty woozy and sedate, after all — but I was pleasantly surprised by the high energy show at the Commodore.

I gave his most recent album, Paracosm, a mixed review for the Georgia Straight last year. Despite the LP’s limitations, “All I Know” is a hell of a jam.

I’ve only heard a couple of tracks, but Washed Out‘s Within and Without is already shaping up to be one of the albums of the summer. (Summer!) Here’s another completely fantastic cut from the disc called “Amor Fati.” It’s a gorgeous dance cut that’s doused in pillowy new age synths and galloping beats. These are overlaid with Earnest Greene’s signature reverb-swathed vocals. Which don’t sound like Sam Roberts, thank you Tyler. Okay, they kind of do a bit.

I’m going to be listening to a hell of a lot of this until Sub Pop releases Within and Without on July 12.

Chillwave is not dead! Washed Out has a new album, Within and Without, coming out this summer through Sub Pop. I previously wrote a story about the album for Exclaim!, and now the single “Eyes Be Closed” has arrived.

Holy crap! This one is totally incredible. It’s part Boards of Canada-style IDM and part ’90s electronica (think Moby). And then there are some reverb-hazed guitars and cavernous vocal harmonies that are pure Washed Out.

Stream it below or download it for free in exchange for an email address here.

I’ve postedplentyofchillwavers over the last few months, but none of them have managed to top Washed Out in terms of sheer narcotic bliss. The synthpop whiz just released a new track through the Kia-sponsored Adult Swim Singles Program, the typically bleary “You and I.” It features a guest appearence from Chairlift‘s Caroline Polachek, who contributes to the song’s patchwork of vocal samples. She also delivers an awesomely seductive, half-whispered rap that starts right around the 3:23 mark. It’s supremely lovely stuff, just what we’ve come to expect from Washed Out.

It’s difficult to imagine a more appropriately-named artist than Washed Out. The bedroom recording project of Ernest Greene, the Georgia native’s music is woozy and deeply nostalgic, sounding something like the sonic equivalent to a Polarioid picture.

His debut EP, Life of Leisure, is built around trance-like electro beats and warm washes of dreamy synthesizer. The lyrics are almost indiscernible, densely layered and swathed in a warm blanket of reverb. The cinematic swoon of “Feel It All Around” seems like it’s unfolding in slow motion, as tinny drums clatter against purring keyboards and twanging surf guitar (which I’m pretty sure is actually keyboard) for three moments of pure, soothing bliss.

Rather than the ’80s-influenced laser-beam synths that have become so prevalent over the past few years, Washed Out sounds closer to ’90s electronica—which makes sense considering that Greene is 26, and would have been in high school when bands like Boards of Canada and Air first gained recognition. Closing track “You’ll See It” especially recalls this era, with a propulsive techno beat that could have easily been turned into a dancefloor anthem; Greene, however, overlays it with daydream vocals and woozy keyboards, meaning that it’s more likely to put you to sleep.

It’s pure summer music, and is bound to evoke memories of sitting on the beach on a hot July day. Even though we’re almost in December, the effect is the same, and Life of Leisure makes for the perfect seasonal escape.